Pleasant Lake Pleasantries
February 2020
Together We Learn, Together We Lead!
EVERY CHILD, EVERY DAY!
Every Child, Every Day is our intentional commitment to creating a safe and inclusive culture and community where we:
- Prioritize instruction
- Foster meaningful relationships
- Value and empower each learner
- Create growth opportunities for all
iReady Diagnostic 2nd Window Completed
Our children are completing the second round of the i-Ready Diagnostic testing. After your child has taken the assessment, the reading and math instructional lessons will reset depending on your child's diagnostic results.
Parents can help by encouraging students to work on the iReady math and reading instructional modules at home for 45-60 minutes per week or more. These online instructional lessons will help students become more proficient in math and reading and better prepare them for the third iReady diagnostic and M-STEP testing that will take place in the Spring.
If you have questions about iReady, or the instructional lessons, please reach out to your child's teacher for information. We are ready to assist you in helping your child at home to become a better reader, writer, and mathematician.
Third Grade Reading Retention Law
Several years ago the state enacted a law related to student reading proficiencies that requires students to be reading on grade level by third grade or they will be retained, based on the M-STEP state assessment, unless they have one of several good cause exemptions. As a part of our multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), we have been utilizing the IRIP (Individualized Reading Intervention Plan) process to identify targeted goals, intentionally design individual supports and interventions, and increase our home school partnership. Within this process, we are working through a continuous improvement cycle of reviewing data and planning for ways to better support instruction across all 3 tiers of supports within the MTSS framework. All of our professional learning for staff this year has been focused on strengthening these tiers.
Our goal for every child at Pleasant Lake is to ensure that they are meeting their full potential to the very best of their ability as a whole person. This law has been a good reminder of how systemic processes are the very best way to support our students’ growth. That said, the thought of retaining a student in 3rd grade is daunting. As this first group of third grade students begins the M-STEP testing at the end of April, I want to share that we will be working to ensure that we will continue to work diligently to support your child’s growth and will be working with you, should your child need to request an exemption to retention. We are planning an optimal testing environment to support all students through the M-STEP assessment and will be communicating with you as soon as we are able about whether you will need to request an exemption.
Please see the district website for more information regarding the Third Grade Reading Law.
Schools of Choice for 20-21 School Year
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is a participant in Schools of Choice 105 on a ‘limited’ basis, limited meaning not all buildings and grade levels will have openings. Typically we accept applications for grades K-10. Under Schools of Choice 105 we may enroll students who are not residents of our district but still reside in one of the other 27 Oakland County school districts who meet application guidelines.
The application period for the 2020-2021 school year will be January 20 through February 7, 2020. By law, applications cannot be accepted before January 20 or after February 7, 2020.
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools does not participate in Schools of Choice 105C which means we do not accept applications from residents who do not live in Oakland County.
Schools of Choice 105 applications for the 2020-2021 school year will be available on our website, www.wlcsd.org beginning January 20, 2020. Please check back then or call Patty at 248.956.2085 for more information.
Note: If you are currently a resident of the district and anticipate moving out of the district during the school year, it may be possible for your children to continue their enrollment in Walled Lake under Schools of Choice 105 if:
- You are still residing within one of the other 27 Oakland County school district boundaries
- The building and grade level you want is open for application (you may end up on the waiting list if a lottery is necessary)
- Meet the application requirements
- Your application is submitted during the application period (January 20 – February 7, 2020)
- Your application is approved
2019-2020 calendar
Please click on the 2019-20 calendar to view this year’s school calendar. Please Note:
Late starts (middle school) and early release (high schools) have been eliminated.
There are several half-days throughout the school year. As we have in the past, we will offer a reduced rate Prime Time Care service on each of these half days.
You might be wondering...Why are there so many half days?
Throughout the school year, there are eight half days that will be used for staff professional development. We recognize that half days can be inconvenient for families. That said, research has shown that when teachers receive ongoing, job-embedded professional development, they can increase student achievement by as much as 21 percentile points (Source).
As a school and district, we are committed to continuous improvement and these eight half days are an essential part of that commitment. Although they may seem inconvenient, staff development opportunities are crucial to ensure we provide an exemplary education for our children.
Pleasant Lake Elementary Building Calendar
Walled Lake Schools Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
MSTEP Online Practice Tests
Our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders can take the for M-Step/Mi-Access online practice from home! The Michigan Department of Education requires that you access the link below using a Chrome browser.
The online Sample Item Sets are a select group of test items in ELA, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies that encompass different item types, such as multiple choice, constructed response, and various kinds of technology-enhanced items. The sets provide students, teachers, and parents practice in solving grade-level and content-specific test items aligned to Michigan's academic content standards.
Details: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-22709_70117-350540--,00.html
STARTING SMARTER WEBSITE
PARENT-FRIENDLY STARTING SMARTER WEBSITE - NOW AVAILABLE
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is excited to announce the availability of a new online resource designed to give families a better understanding of their child’s strengths and areas of improvement in mathematics and English language arts (ELA). The Starting Smarter website (mi.startingsmarter.org) provides Michigan’s families with information in parent-friendly language that will help them:
• understand their child’s M-STEP score report
• locate resources to support learning at home and school
• prepare for an effective Parent Teacher Conference
• see and practice with online M-STEP practice questions and tools
• learn about the Read by Grade 3 law
• understand what academic standards students are expected to master
• learn about the accessibility tools and supports available to students during testing
Parents are critical partners in their child's success. Please visit The Starting Smarter website
(mi.startingsmarter.org).
Job Opening at Pleasant Lake Elementary~
There is currently a job opening for a lunchroom supervisor at Pleasant Lake Elementary. Come join our fantastic staff and spend 2.5 hours per day with our wonderful children.
Please click on the link below to view the job posting and feel free to call our main office at 248.956.2800 if you have any questions.
OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER 5TH GRADE CAMP
School Bell Schedule
Drop Off: 8:45 AM
School Begins: 8:55 AM (Tardy Bell)
Dismissal: 4:00 PM
Departure: 4:00-4:07 PM
Half-Day Dismissal: 12:25 PM
Pleasant Lake Elementary
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Prime Time Care Hours
Monday - Friday
6:30 AM-6:00 PM
Main Office:
248-956-2800
Fax Number:
248-956-2805
Attendance Hotline:
248-956-2890
School Times:
Drop off: 8:50 AM
Late Bell: 8:55 AM
Dismissal: 4:00 PM
Departure: 4:00-4:07 PM
Email: NayalMaktari@wlcsd.org
Website: www.wlcsd.org/pleasantlake
Location: 4900 Halsted Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, United States
Phone: (248) 956-2800
Twitter: @PleasantLakeEl
PLE PTA Membership Forms
We need your support! Please click HERE and join our PTA. It's our goal to have each parent a member of our PTA. Your support is needed to continue the great things we provide our children.
You can also sign up now on our PTA Event Volunteer Sign Up Form.
Thank you again for supporting our children, families and staff!
Kroger Community Rewards Program
The PTA needs your help in providing our students and staff with as many resources as possible. One way the PTA helps is by contributing the funds earned through the Kroger Community Rewards program. If you shop at Kroger, we ask you to enroll your card to earn money for the PTA. This program does not take away your rewards earned toward gas or any other benefits. It is an additional way that Kroger gives back to the community. If you were enrolled in the past, please make sure to re-enroll and select Pleasant Lake Elementary PTA to earn the community rewards. You can follow the link provided here https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow
Also, if you have other family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) that shop at Kroger or Kroger affiliated stores encourage them to enroll their rewards card and select your student’s PTA for community rewards. Every little bit helps our students and staff.
Thank you,
Katarina Gasevski
PTA Co-V.P. and Scrips Coordinator
staples rewards program
Enroll now in the Staples Rewards Program and earn money for our children and school.
Box Tops Just Got Easier
Busch's Cash for Education
All participants must re-enroll annually. Once registered, simply shop, provide your Busch’s MyWay phone number or key tag at the register and receive credit for your schools. It’s that easy! Just be sure to follow the below steps to participate for the New Year.
Steps to Take:
- Sign into your MyWay account and select “Cash for Education” from the dropdown menu underneath your name to reselect your schools and/or organizations.
- If you haven’t done so already, you must include a valid email and opt-in to receive emails to participate in this program. You can check this under My Account > Account Holder when logged into MyWay. Busch’s will use this email to communicate any updates or changes to the Cash for Education Program. Email is also a great way to receive information regarding weekly specials, offers and Busch’s coupons, which are sent exclusively to MyWay members.
- Select up to four organizations that you would like to support for each quarter using the drop down menu. Purchases will be allocated equally between your chosen organizations.
- You may now also include the student you’re supporting.
- You may change your organizations and student at any time, but only those selected at the end of each quarter will receive credit.
Participants will be required to re-enroll on an annual basis.
If you have any questions please email us at welisten@buschs.com or refer to the FAQ, which can be found at buschs.com/community.
Absences and Notes to School
If you intend to keep your child home on a school day for any reason, please use our attendance hotline at 248-956-2890. You may leave a voicemail message 24 hours a day. If we do not receive a call from you, we will call you to make sure that your child is indeed absent.
The Transportation Department will not issue bus passes for after school study, play dates etc. Bus passes will be issued for shared custody, day care, babysitting, or other emergencies. The Transportation Department will also issue year-long passes for in-district transfer and school of choice students when there is room on the bus.
If your child's transportation/dismissal for the end of the day changes in any way, please send in a note at the beginning of the day to your child's teacher or the office. If this changes during the school day, please call our secretaries before 3:00 p.m. We will always make sure your child gets to the correct place at the end of the day, but we ask for your help with this by notifying us early in the day or with a note. Thank you!
Safety First at Pleasant Lake Elementary
- If your child needs to be picked up during the school day, he/she will only be released to a parent, custodial parent, person listed on the school emergency form or a person identified in a permission note from the parent. We will require a photo ID.
- Any legal documents containing custodial restrictions or court orders must be on file in our office.
- If you are visiting our school or dropping off a student, please park in our main parking and come through our main entrance doors to our office area to sign your child in. All doors are locked and will not be opened by staff members or students. This includes students who are tardy to school. Do not drop off students in the parking lot if they are tardy for school. Parents must come into the office to sign tardy students in. When using the main entrance, please buzz in and the main office staff will open the door for you.
- To maintain a safe and secure learning environment, parents and visitors may not go to any classroom unless they have made prior arrangements with the classroom teacher. Parent volunteers are welcome at Pleasant Lake, but must sign in each time they volunteer in a classroom or in the building. Please remember to sign out when you are finished. Parents may not visit classrooms unexpectedly when volunteering or visiting the school. Students walk to their classrooms on their own each day and will be called down to the office if leaving early. Students will be called down to the office for any forgotten items brought in to the office.
Pleasant Lake Elementary Handicap Parking
I please need your help. Please do not park in the handicap parking spots in the main parking area located at the front of the school building. We have families who need access to those specific parking spots.
The West Bloomfield Police Department will be ticketing cars that are illegally parked.
Thank you for your support.
Lunch and Food Service Information
Walled Lake Consolidated School District offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs $1.25 at the elementary level and $1.50 at the middle school and high school levels; lunch costs $2.75 at the elementary level and $3.00 at the middle and high school levels. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. Reduced-price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch.
Please click HERE for the February Elementary Lunch Menu.
You can always visit Walled Lake's Food Service Website for information by clicking HERE.
Invisible Dad Lunch Program
In Walled Lake Schools, the 12 WL elementary schools have adopted the Invisible Dad program which entitles all children to a school lunch, even if a student’s lunch account does not have money in it.
Invisible Dad accounts have been set up at our schools to cover lunch for children whose parents have forgotten, are unable, or for whatever reason have not kept their account up-to-date. Parents receive a confidential notification that their child has accessed the Invisible Dad account and they are given an opportunity to update the account, complete a Free and Reduced Lunch form or to talk to a school administrator.
For more information on the Invisible Dad Program, visit the program's webpage.
TO DONATE: Please make a check out to your Walled Lake School with Invisible Dad in the “memo” line. This money will keep the account for your school able to continue this important program.
Typing Quest Lessons for 3rd-5th Graders
3rd-5th graders have been practicing keyboarding on their Typing Quest accounts. The goal right now is to slow down, not worry about scores, and try to get all of their fingers moving and practicing. Students can access their account from home by logging onto the link below.
Teach The Leader in Me Habits At Home!
Enjoy!
Know What's Going On At Pleasant Lake Elementary!
SKYWARD FAMILY ACCESS
It is critical that parents keep an updated email address and let us know if it changes as soon as possible. Parents may update this information for us on Skyward Family Access. All teachers at Pleasant Lake utilize Skyward Family Access to communicate with parents. Report cards, lunch account information, progress reports, attendance and other important information will always be posted on Skyward Family Access. If you are a new family to Walled Lake Schools or have misplaced or lost your Family Access ID and password, please click HERE to get connected.
PLEASANT LAKE PLEASANTRIES AND SCHOOL WEBSITE
Our school newsletter will be sent electronically to parents once a month. An archive of newsletters is also posted to our school website under the For Parents tab. Our school website can be found HERE. Please visit this page often for information about our school. You will find links to important documents, websites from your child's classroom, PTA forms and information, and important updates and forms that you will need to access.
Please follow us on Twitter @PleasantLakeEl to be updated regularly on important events at our school and fun pictures of student events and learning!
REMIND 101
We also offer Remind 101 to all PLE parents. How does it work? If you would like to receive a quick text message on your cell phone or device, just sign up with us and you receive a quick text to remind you of important school events, deadlines, time frames, etc. at PLE. You can unsubscribe at any time.
To join, send a text to (586) 649-3482 and enter the message @mrmakt
You can opt-out of messages at anytime by replying, 'unsubscribe @mrmakt'.